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And the winner is….why enter industry awards?

There are many positive reasons why companies enter industry awards, but as the oil price has slumped, so too has the willingness of many oil and gas companies to celebrate success.

Understandably, there is a concern as to whether it is appropriate to enter the company or individual employees for an award which articulates success, when the oil and gas industry is in downturn. However, entering and hopefully winning awards is the perfect way to encourage positivity amongst employees – and this is true regardless of your sector.

Good publicity

Focussing on the oil and gas industry; competition within the industry remains, and if anything, is heightened by the current downturn as companies compete for the lower amount of work available. Being shortlisted for, or winning, an award can give your company that extra edge to stand out from your competitors.

Winning a business award can differentiate you, and can provide a competitive advantage for retaining current customers and attracting new customers. Although let’s be clear, it’s not just the winning that counts! Winning the award is brilliant but even companies that are shortlisted will tend to receive a high amount of publicity. For example, featuring in a shortlist round up article could be seen by potential new customers who may not have previously heard of your company.

Awards offer great PR opportunities to show off your company’s strengths by carefully selecting award categories best suited to areas you want to promote, e.g. international expansion, technological advances, equipment development or corporate social responsibility.

An award win or shortlist announcement acts as a third party endorsement for your company and shows the industry that you are credible.

Time to reflect

It can seem like a time-consuming task to enter awards, but we regularly complete award entries for companies based on readily available information. Our relationship with - and understanding of - our clients ensures the awards application process requires as little extra input from the client as possible.

Entering awards is an opportunity for companies to reflect on the positive, whether it is for an individual who deserves recognition or for the company’s achievement, which may have gone unnoticed during the current climate.

Employee motivation

If a company has had to make the difficult decision to make staff redundant then whilst they will want to be considerate to redundant staff, it is also important to focus attention on increasing morale amongst the remaining staff.

Now is the perfect time to give staff spirits a boost and being involved in an award entry/win is a good way to involve them in something positive. Companies often book a table at awards ceremonies and let’s be honest, it can be a perfect opportunity to treat staff who deserve recognition for their hard work.

Of the 36 companies and individuals shortlisted, a grand total of nine think clients were shortlisted and four went on to win their category.

If your company is keen to enter awards and would like advice on choosing the awards that are best suited to your company, or would like to discuss how we can help drafting award entries for you, then please get in touch.